The Doorways of Solomon's Temple

A recent post on the Biblical Archeology website explores a curious detail about the entrance of Solomon's Temple as described in the 1 Kings account of its design which plays such an important role in Masonic ritual and legend.

From "The Doorways of Solomon’s Temple" by Megan Sauter:

King Solomon’s Temple was resplendent. Described in 1 Kings 6–7, the temple was divided into three parts: the forecourt (ulam), the outer sanctum (heikhal) and the inner shrine (devir), also known as the Holy of Holies. Built of stone and roofed with wooden beams, Solomon’s Temple was intricately ornamented. Its interior walls and floors were lined with wooden boards and covered in gold. It took seven years to complete the temple and its furnishings.

Despite the Biblical description and archaeological parallels, there are still some mysteries about Solomon’s Temple. For example, 1 Kings 6:31 describes the doors between the outer sanctum and the inner shrine of Solomon’s Temple as having five mezuzot (the plural form of mezuzah). What is a mezuzah? In the Bible, mezuzah is normally translated as “doorpost.” However, in the context of Solomon’s Temple, doors with five doorposts do not make sense...

A nearby temple of the similar period located just 20 miles away from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — Khirbet Qeiyafa — may hold the answer to this curious description and the enigma of "five doorposts." That temple is known to have been occupied in the 11th-10th century B.C., and was a fortified site in Judah from the time of King David.

[Researchers] Madeleine Mumcuoglu and Yosef Garfinkel present a building model from Khirbet Qeiyafa that depicts a doorframe with three—or maybe four—interlocking doorframes surrounding an opening. They suggest that these interlocking frames are what is meant by mezuzot in the description of Solomon’s Temple. According to their interpretation, then, the doors to the inner shrine (devir) of Solomon’s Temple did not have five doorposts—but rather five recessed doorframes.

Temples with recessed doorways have been uncovered throughout the ancient Near East, and Madeleine Mumcuoglu and Yosef Garfinkel further note that recessed doorframes set apart inner rooms and spaces as being sacred. In the case of Solomon’s Temple, the more recessed the doorframes, the holier the space:

"There is a gradual increase in the number of recessed doorframes from the entrance to the forecourt (three) to the outer sanctum (four) and finally to the entrance from the outer sanctum to the devir (five). It is as if the devir had the highest number of mezuzot because it was the most sacred part of the Temple."

This reconstruction of the doorway into the Khirbet Qeiyafa temple (photo) depicts an elaborate doorframe surrounding the opening. The recessed doorway within the four interlocking frames sets apart the inner room as a sacred space. These may have been what was referred to in the Biblical account as the five mezuzot.

Illus. Jim Tresner Passes Away

The very sad news has been reported that renowned author and Oklahoma Freemason, Illustrious James T. Tresner II, 33° Grand Cross passed to the Celestial Lodge at 2AM Thursday morning. The fraternity has truly lost one of its very finest leaders.

Born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma, Jim Tresner held a Ph.D. in communications. 

He was a perpetual member of Garfield Lodge 501 in Enid, Oklahoma; Past Master and perpetual member of Albert Pike Lodge 162 in Guthrie, Oklahoma; a member of the Oklahoma Lodge of Research; a member of Oklahoma College, Masonic Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederalis; Past Sovereign Master of Father Murrow Chapter, Allied Masonic Degrees; and served as Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma. And he was extraordinarily active in the Guthrie Valley of the Scottish Rite (SJ).

Jim was an honorary Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, and was awarded the Grand Master’s Medal of Honor by the Grand Lodge of Kansas.

Jim Tresner was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, serving on on numerous Grand Lodge Committees; as the Grand Lodge official spokesman on matters of Freemasonry and religion since 1993; and as Grand Orator. 

For many, many years he was the publications editor for the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, and the editor of the state Masonic magazine. Ill. Tresner was also a longtime editor and book reviewer of the Scottish Rite Journal, and Director Emeritus of the Scottish Rite Research Society. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Plumbline, and was the author of the popular biography Albert Pike: The Man Beyond the Monument. In 2001, he was the recipient of the Albert Gallatin Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Scholarship, the Scottish Rite Research Society’s highest honor. And in 1999, he was named as the 86th Friar of the Society of Blue Friars, an honorary organization specifically made up of Masonic authors.

Many of Jim's essays can be found on the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma's website HERE.

What all of those lists of accomplishments and accolades fail to express is the untold influence he had in the lives of countless individual Masons in the course of his lifetime. Jim was first and foremost a kind and dedicated Masonic mentor, and Facebook today was filled with tributes to him. This one from Brother John McCracken is representative of the feelings of hundreds and hundreds of his brethren over the years: 

This man pointed [and] lit the way for generations of men, showing them that there is deeper meaning and purpose to be found in this life.  

It’s hard to explain to people outside of the Fraternity, but Jim literally made the world a less darker place... and did so with an ease that made it look like a much simpler task than many might assume. He carried a dragon headed cane for the later years of his life (Hard to miss)... a Knight having long since defeated such obstacles. 

The World has lost one of its last Great Sages of Wisdom... All of Masonry has lost a Teacher, Friend, and Brother...

His column in broken, and his Brethren mourn.

Requiescat in pace.

---

UPDATE

The Grand Lodge of Oklahoma has made the following announcement:

Funeral Services for our Beloved Br. Jim Tresner are scheduled [in Oklahoma City] for Thursday, July 19, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. Services will be at the Church of the Servant; 14343 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Oklahoma City. The family has requested in lieu of flowers that donations be made in Jim’s name to the Grand Lodge Museum & Library which houses much of Jim’s book collection. It is a 501 (C) (3) tax exempt organization.

Fraternally,

Bobby L. Laws, PGM, Grand Secretary
Grand Lodge AF&AM of Oklahoma
405-282-3212, Ext 4
okmason1@coxinet.net

UPDATE 7/18/2018:

Jim Tresner's official obituary has been published:

November 11, 1941 - July 12, 2018 GUTHRIE James Tracy 'Jim' Tresner was born in Enid to Margaret and Jack Tresner. He attended grade school through high school in the Enid public school system. He attended several colleges and earned two masters degrees and a PhD in business communications. He was a longtime member of Mensa.

Following college, Jim was a Professor of Drama and Speech at Connors State College. He spent the next several years as the Chief Underwriter at the family insurance company. Jim loved reading, cooking, writing, and entertaining his friends at the Tresner cabin in Colorado.

Dr. Tresner was internationally known as a Masonic author, writer, speaker and scholar. He joined the youth group of the fraternity, the Order of DeMolay, at the age of 12 while living in Enid. He became a member of the Masonic fraternity in 1963 in Garfield #501 in Enid. He was asked to move to Guthrie in 1987 to use his considerable skills in behalf of the fraternity. He was appointed a consultant to the Oklahoma Grand Lodge, the Oklahoma Masonic Charity Foundation, the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma, and the House of the Temple, the national Scottish Rite headquarters in Washington, DC. He was the book review editor of the Scottish Rite Journal, the national organ of the Scottish Rite, and was a recipient of the 33°, Grand Cross, the highest honor the Rite can give to a Scottish Rite mason. Dr. Tresner also served on the Masonic Information Center of the United States and was recently named an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the Scottish Rite Research Society. He was elected a Blue Friar by the Society of Masonic authors worldwide in 1999.

In Oklahoma, he also belonged to the York Rite Bodies and the Oklahoma Lodge of Research. He was appointed the director of the degree work for the Guthrie Scottish Rite soon after he arrived in Guthrie and continued in that role until his death. Through his own community theatre experience, he brought an understanding of the theatre form of education to a level unsurpassed in the fraternity. Dr. Tresner inspired almost every man who knew him to make the study of Freemasonry a lifelong love and experience.

He served as the worshipful master of Albert Pike #162 in Guthrie in 1995 and was honored with 50 years of service to Masonry in 2013. Jim held many committee appointments for the Oklahoma Grand Lodge. In 1996, he was awarded the medal of honor, the highest honor a member can receive in Oklahoma Masonry. He had the rare distinction of being named an Honorary Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma. Upon his passing, he was the editor of the Oklahoma Mason and the Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma. Dr. Tresner was the author of several books, including 'Albert Pike: The Man Behind the Monument,' 'Vested in Glory: The Aprons, Collars, Caps, and Jewels of the Degrees of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry,' 'From Sacrifice to Symbol: The Story of Cornerstones and Stability Rites,' and 'But I Digress.' In addition, he wrote extensively on all of the Masonic Rites and penned many educational papers, brochures, articles, and booklets on Freemasonry.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his two brothers, John, of Placitas, NM; and Jack, of Edmond; two nephews, Jevon, of Oklahoma City; and Jeff, of Edmond; four great- nieces and nephews, Payden and Rhonan, daughter and son of Jevon and Cheryl; and Jester and Jovy, son and daughter of Jeff. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Grand Lodge Library and Museum, which will house the collection of the Tresner Library. A Funeral Service will be held Thursday, July 19 at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Servant, 14343 N. MacArthur in Oklahoma City. Graveside Service will follow in Enid, OK at Memorial Park Cemetery. Viewing will be available July 16 - 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Community Funeral Home, 1624 N. Pine, Guthrie, OK.

Legends of the Craft Symposium and Festive Board Saturday 7/14

Speaking of festive boards (see yesterday's post), Masons in, or near, or within traveling distance of New York City this coming Saturday July 14th (Bastille Day!) have the opportunity to attend a truly momentous event.

The Legends of the Craft Symposium – “Masonry During the Age of Enlightenment” is an one day educational experience for Master Masons interested in the development of Masonic rituals . New York's Shakespeare Lodge No. 750 and Continental Lodge No. 287 are the joint hats for this event.

The theme of the symposium is the stories and legends of the people, events, degree systems and rituals that were active during the European Age of Enlightenment (1650’s to 1820’s). From 1717 onward Speculative Masonry evolved into a multi-degree ritual system. What happened next influenced the development of many masonic degree systems and are important Legends of the Craft.

The Symposium features four lecturers of great renown in the Masonic cosmos:

Josef A. Wäges - “Stephen Morin and the Baylot Manuscript – The Origins of the Order of the Royal Secret 

Piers Vaughan - “The Magician, the Mystic and the Mason – The unlikely origin of the Rectified Rite”

 E. Oscar Alleyne - “The Legend of Comte de St Laurent and his role in Scottish Rite Freemasonry”

Arturo De Hoyos - “Early Scots Masonry, the Royal Arch, and the Scottish Rite.

The evening festive board will feature a special dinner ritual modified from one in use during the Age of Enlightenment. During the ritual, each guest lecturer will be humorously “asked” to favor the assembled Brethren with a few legends and earned lessons from their journeys, to prove they are indeed lecturers.

Organizers promise, "The dinner will be a summertime feast, with an independence day theme and we will consume copious amounts of Tea Party Punch a revolutionary version of the 18th century Dickens."

Check in begins at 11AM, and the Symposium begins at Noon. Dinner begins at 5PM.

Tickets are $55 + $4.09 processing fee; or $85 which includes Tracing Coin and Pin set ($50 value)

Visit the event website for information and to make reservations HERE.

"Gather 'Round the Festive Board"

Plenty of U.S. Freemasons encounter the terms 'table lodge' and 'festive board,' but it's disheartening just how few have ever experienced such an event in their own lodges. If you are just such a Brother, set aside about an hour and give a listen to the most recent X-Oriente podcast Episode No. 107: The Table Proceeding. Eric and Jason speak with my friend MW Joseph Crociata, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C. And if anybody in the U.S. knows how to organize and carry off a successful Festive Board, it's Joe.

In 2004, a group of Masons under the imprimatur of the Knights of the North wrote the following in our paper Laudable Pursuit:

"In 1717, one of the reasons given for forming the Mother Grand Lodge in London was to hold the Annual Feast. Not a dinner, but a feast. The Festive Board is an event of celebration, a special occasion for brethren to meet, gather over good food in pleasant surroundings. The ceremonial toasts that were developed by our forefathers were meant to be an outpouring of emotion and brotherhood, not poorly read in a stilted table lodge ceremony. The time is now to bring the Festive Board back to our fraternity. Hold it at a restaurant in a private room away from the lodge. Invite members from other lodges, and make it a true celebration of brotherhood and conviviality. Have an ENTERTAINING guest speaker on a Masonic or other subject. Unlike a table lodge, there is no ritual, other than perhaps celebrating the ceremonial toasts."

As much as we wanted to take credit for it, we weren't espousing anything especially new, original, or radical at the time. In fact, we were trodding well-worn territory other bored or frustrated Masons had resurrected at various times before to invigorate their lodges, and that others were approaching similarly around that exact same moment (like Pete Normand's St. Alban's Lodge 1455 in Texas, or Lodge Epicurean in Australia, or the founders of the Masonic Restoration Foundation).

Twenty-five years before us, another such Brother had been John Mauk Hilliard, then an enthusiastic twenty-something New York Mason who brought the Festive Board alive with great panache back in the 1970s at Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2. The traditions he promoted back then continue there to this day.

Back in 1948, H. L. Haywood had written in More About Masonry,

"In the Eighteenth Century Lodges the Feast bulked so large in the lodge that in many of them the members were seated at the table when the lodges were opened and remained at it throughout the Communication, even when the degrees were conferred. The result was that Masonic fellowship was good fellowship in it, as in a warm and fruitful soil, acquaintanceship, friendship, and affection could flourish - there was no grim and silent sitting on a bench, staring across at a wall. Out of this festal spirit flowered the love which Masons had for their lodge. They brought gifts to it, and only by reading of old inventories can any present day Mason measure the extent of that love; there were gifts of chairs, tables, altars, pedestals, tapestries, draperies, silver, candle-sticks, oil paintings, libraries, Bibles, mementos, curios, regalia’s and portraits. The lodge was a home, warm, comfortable, luxurious, full of memories, and tokens, and affection, and even if a member died his, presence was never wholly absent; to such a lodge no member went grudgingly, nor had to be coaxed, nor was moved by that ghastly, cold thing called a sense of duty, but went as if drawn by a magnet, and counted the days until he could go. 

"What business has any lodge to be nothing but a machine for grinding out the work: It was not called into existence in order to have the minutes read: Even a mystic tie will snap under the strain of cheerlessness, repetition, monotony, dullness. A lodge needs a fire lighted in it, and the only way to have that warmth is to restore the lodge Feast, because when it is restored, good fellowship and brotherly love will follow, and where good fellowship is, members will fill up an empty room not only with themselves but also with their gifts."

When my own Mother lodge was struggling on the ropes with dull meetings and low turnout, we made a decision for three years to move our stated meetings out of the lodge room and into the dining room, held as a Table Lodge instead. The lodge room was reserved for degrees and special occasions, but the usually dull as dishwater business meeting became secondary to the conviviality of our dinners. The result of that change was that we were attracting more and more visitors curious about our format who wound up enjoying themselves so much that they affiliated or transferred membership to us.

Going to lodge shouldn't be something your members come to dread. Moreover, holding table lodges and festive boards isn't nuclear science — any lodge can incorporate these events into its practices. Moreover, if you attend enough of these types of events, you will find that some of the most memorable episodes of your Masonic life occur in the festive setting of breaking bread and toasting with your brethren.

Give the show a listen. Then, propose a festive board at your next stated meeting.

Grand Master Facebook Scam Alert

The following message was posted of the Facebook page of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska  AF&AM on Friday morning:

Grand Master Facebook Scam Alert 

Brethren:

Even the office of Grand Master of Masons is not immune to modern-day internet hackers. I am sending this notification to make you aware that a currently anonymous scammer has created a bogus Facebook account in my name and is attempting to swindle you out of your money in the name of providing Masonic Relief to a fellow Mason. For those of you using Facebook, you know that social media network is fraught with scammers; many of you have had your accounts “hacked” over the years. Last week someone hacked mine and began sending messages and attempting to “friend” various people, including brother Masons. They went on to create a bogus Facebook profile that shows my Grand Master portrait and my 2018 Grand Lodge Officers. DO NOT accept a request or otherwise communicate with this account, which appears to be coming from me. It is not.

Thanks to vigilant brothers, I was made aware of this scam. The scammer had reached out beyond my own Facebook friends list, so even if you and I are not Facebook friends, they may find you. Someone posing as me reached out to brother Masons and asked for assistance setting up a PayPal account to solicit funds for a needy brother from “Sunny Slope Lodge No. 124,” a lodge that doesn’t exist in Nebraska. I hope none of you were victimized by this person; if you were, contact Facebook to report it. If you hear of this occurring in other Masonic Grand Jurisdictions, please let me know. I suspect the scammers are taking advantage of the goodwill of Masons everywhere. 

No Grand Master should ever reach out to you asking personally for funds in this manner. If you receive such a request, report it to Facebook immediately and inform the Grand Lodge of Nebraska at (402) 475-4640.

Regards,Patrick D. BargerGrand Master

HELP NEEDED! Masonic Sightseeing List

Alice and I are going to be traveling around the country starting in July 2018, and I need everyone's help. We've got the new Airstream trailer. The Suburban ('The Red Scare') is filling up with stuff we probably won't need. And the poodle has his own special backseat perch. 

We've even joined both the Wally Byam Airstream Club (#3765) AND the National Camping Travelers (#22322) – the trailer and RV club created in 1966 by and for Masonic campers. 

All that's left is our rambling itinerary. And we need your help, because as usual when I think about something for too long, this is turning into a much larger project.

I am working with Oklahoma Brother Daniel Hanttula in assembling a list of the top Masonic must-see sights to visit in every state of the U.S. and Canadian Province. Daniel is the author of the The Masonic Tour Guide book series (Volume 2 was just published in January), and I am going to work with him in expanding this list of Masonic related places to see. His two books are extremely helpful, but they need expanding. That's where your assistance comes in.

Daniel and I are both looking for the oldest, the coolest, the biggest, the tiniest, and the most unique Masonic buildings, locations and other Masonic-related landmarks in YOUR state or Province. It can be Craft Lodge related, or the appendant bodies. It can be historical sites, or almost any physical location peculiar to your particular state or province having to do with Freemasonry.

In addition, Daniel's books also list distinctive settings in which degrees are conferred, various unique Masonic degree teams (like the Oklahoma Indian MM Team, Indiana's Levant Preceptory, and New Jersey's Kilties), unusual side degrees, special Masonic time capsules, cemeteries, and extraordinary opportunities for Masonic affiliation. I am slowly adding these to my own list below to make it more comprehensive, and if I can find it, I will add a link to pertinent websites or Facebook pages. 

Bear in mind that this isn't to promote one-time events like upcoming special degrees or time-specific conferences or gatherings. To be truly useful and comprehensive, the list needs to be timeless. Only send recurring events (i.e. Masonic Week, Masonic Con, etc)

Please send your suggestions to me directly to hodapp@aol.com or add them as a comment to this page below using the comment form (Google has messed with log in credentials and makes it harder to comment on this blog in the last few months, so feel free to email me). Put "Masonic Sightseeing" in your subject line so I can spot it. 

This is an ongoing project, so please don't send angry "How could you forget about...??!!!" messages. I'm adding to it slowly every day now as I work my way through 2,500 old posts and references. 

Be sure to check your state on the list below because I may have already included it.

Meanwhile, be sure to follow Daniel's The Masonic Tour Guide Facebook page HERE.

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UNITED STATES MASONIC SIGHTSEEING

 Alabama

•Huntsville - Helion Lodge No. 1, first and oldest lodge in Alabama (descended through Madison Lodge No. 21 chartered by Kentucky in 1811). Eunomia Hall built 1911.

 Alaska

 Arizona

•Arizona Military Fellowcraft Degree Team

•Phoenix - Phoenix Masonic Temple (b. 1925) - home of Phoenix Lodge No. 2, recently refurbished, with beautiful murals throughout (4th and Monroe)

•Tucson - Tuscon Scottish Rite Cathedral, b. 1915-16 (160 S. Scott Avenue)

 Arkansas

•Little Rock

• The Pike-Fletcher-Terry House - mansion constructed in 1840 by Albert Pike (411 E. 7th St.).
• Albert Pike Memorial Scottish Rite Cathedral, home of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas

 California

•Hornitos - Hornitos Lodge No. 98 (chartered originally as Quartzburg No. 98 in 1856) - smallest lodge room in California: 17'-6" x 29'-6 (built 1855; used continuously as Masonic lodge since 1875)

•Los Angeles 

• Former Scottish Rite Center, now Museum (Wilshire Avenue)
• Jimmy Kimmel studio former Hollywood Lodge (Hollywood Boulevard)

•Mendocino - Mendocino Lodge No. 179 features unique carved statue of 'Weeping Maiden and Time' on its tower cupola (built 1866). Beautifully preserved inside and out.

•San Francisco - California Memorial Masonic Temple, home of Grand Lodge of California; Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum (111 California Street)

•Shasta - Western Star Lodge No. 2 (chartered as Western Star No. 98 by Grand lodge of Missouri in 1848); oldest lodge in California; building erected in 1854.

 Colorado

•Denver Lodge No. 5 - Colorado's oldest chartered lodge (1859). Meets in beautiful Denver Masonic Hall (b. 1889) at 16th and Welton Streets. Red sandstone exterior building was gutted by fire in 1984, and completely rebuilt inside.

•Denver Airport - the conspiracy lovers' dream. Masonic dedication marker and time capsule in main passenger terminal, creepy murals (by artist Leo Tanguma), swastika runways, underground tunnels, 'alien' vocabulary embedded in the floor, Satanic blue horse sculpture - it's all there, and more.
•Fairplay - Lodge Room Over Simpkin's Store (South Park City Historical Site, 100 4th Street, Fairplay, CO)

•Leadville - Corinthian Lodge No. 35 (b.1910; chartered 1882), highest altitude active US lodge (10,152 ft).

•Pike's Peak Cryptic Masonic Monument

 Connecticut

•Moosup - Quarry Rite hosted by Moosup Lodge No. 113 (annual, near either the Summer solstice or the Autumnal equinox)

•Woodbury - King Solomon's Lodge No. 7 (chartered 1765), Greek-revival on rocky hill, oldest purpose-built Masonic temple in state (b. 1839)

 Delaware

District of Columbia

• Albert Pike statue (3rd and D Streets, NW)
• Former Grand Lodge of DC building 1870-1909 (901 F. Street NW)
• Former Grand Lodge of DC building 1909-1970s (now Natl. Museum for Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue NW)
• Current Grand Lodge of DC offices and Museum (5428 McArthur Blvd NW)
• Scottish Rite Supreme Council SJ House of the Temple (1733 16th Street NW)
• Naval Lodge No. 4 - Egyptian styled lodge room, b. 1894 (330 Pennsylvania Avenue SE)
• MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of DC (1000 U Street NW)
• Belmont House, headquarters of General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star (1618 New Hampshire Avenue, NW)
• Washington National Cathedral (Episcopal Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington)  - George Washington statue in northwest corner sculpted by Lee Lawrie (1947) erected by Scottish Rite SJ (3101 Wisconsin Ave NW)

 Florida

•Apopka - Orange Lodge No.36 (chartered 1856) is the oldest Masonic Lodge building in continuous use in Florida (b. 1859). Lodge operates on a Lunar Lodge schedule nearest the Full and New Moon phases each month. (453 East Main Street (441))

•Mt. Dora - Donnelly House (b. 1893), an historic mansion that is classic gingerbread style, owned by Mount Dora Lodge No. 238 is one of only two examples of this type of Queen Anne architecture left in Florida. Appears on city's official seal.

 Georgia

•Atlanta 

• Auburn Avenue Prince Hall Masonic Temple

•Macon - Masonic Home of Georgia has largest square and compass display in the world (88ft h x 78ft w), dedicated 2014.

•Savannah - Solomon's Lodge No. 1, oldest chartered lodge in Georgia (former Cotten Exchange building b.1841)

 Hawaii

•Iolani Palace (364 S. King Street, Honolulu)

 Idaho

 Illinois

•Bloomingdale - Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago, stunning modern Masonic center in Chicago suburb (383 E. Lake Street Bloomingdale, IL)

•Nauvoo - Alexander Mills' Masonic Hall and Tavern at Joseph Smith's Mormon settlement, 1843

 Indiana

•Adam's Mill, contains lodge room used by former Wild Cat Lodge 1853; currently being restored as historic Masonic display.

•Connersville - Elmhurst Estate c. 1831, now Warren Lodge No. 15 since 1941. Former home of Caleb B. Smith.

•Indianapolis

• Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral (largest Scottish Rite building in the world, b. 1927-29)
• Indianapolis Masonic Temple (b. 1909) - four Craft lodge rooms; Chapter/Council room; Templar Asylum (home of Raper Commandery No. 1); Egyptian themed Red Cross room; large auditorium; Grand Lodge offices (525 N. Illinois Street).
• Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana (Indianapolis Masonic Temple, 525 N. Illinois Street, 5th floor) 
• Murat Shrine Temple and Theatre (b. 1910; now Old National Center; largest Shrine Auditorium in the world)
• Prince Hall Masonic Temple (former Oriental Lodge No. 500, 2201 N. Central Avenue)
• 'George Washington As A Master Mason' statue by Frank De Lue on south lawn of Indiana State House (Capital Ave. and W. Washington St.)

•Madison - Schofield House, birthplace in 1818 of Grand Lodge of Indiana

•Muncie - Cornerstone Center for the Arts, former Muncie Masonic Temple, b.1920-26. Lodge rooms feature magnificent Biblical murals painted by famed artist Gustav A. Brand. Claimed as the largest York Rite Temple in the world. (520 E. Main Street)

•New Albany - Annual Crypt Rededication (Late July, New Albany Masonic Temple, 805 E. Market St)

•Vincennes - Vincennes Lodge No. 1 - oldest chartered lodge in Indiana territory (1807); Temple (b. 1916) features unique paper-mâché maze created for conferring Knights Templar 'Order of the Temple.' (501 Broadway)

 Iowa

•Cedar Rapids - Iowa Masonic Library and Museum

•Des Moines - Des Moines Masonic Temple, b. 1913. (1011 Locust St)

•Des Moines Scottish Rite Consistory, b. 1926-27 (6th Ave. and Park St.)

 Kansas

 Kentucky

•LaGrange - Rob Morris Home (built c. 1840); Masonic author, lecturer, PGM of Kentucky, founder of the 'Conservators Movement' and the Order of the Eastern Star, and 'Poet Laureate of Freemasonry.' Owned since 1919 by the Kentucky Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star (102 Washington Street)
•Lexington - Lexington Lodge No. 1

 Louisiana

•New Orleans

• Etoile Polaire Lodge No. 1 - arguably the oldest chartered lodge in Louisiana (1794), works French-derived Scottish Rite Craft degree rituals, sometimes referred to as "red lodge degrees" (1433 N. Rampart Street)
• Hilton St. Charles Hotel - former Grand Lodge and Masonic Temple building (b. 1926, sold 1992; 333 St. Charles Avenue)
• Germania Lodge No. 46 (chartered 1844), also works Scottish Rite Craft rituals, one of ten permitted to do so in Louisiana. (4415 Bienville Street)
• Nolaluna Theater - former Scottish Rite Consistory Building (b. 1853; 619 Carondelet Street)

•Shreveport - Shreveport Scottish Rite Cathedral (b. 1915-17), magnificent building with three-level auditorium (725 Cotton Street)

 Maine

 Maryland

•Grand Lodge of Maryland Masonic Center and Museum (Cockeysville suburb of Baltimore)

 Massachusetts

•Attleboro - Masonic Con annually in April at Ezekiel Bates Lodge.

Boston

• Grand Lodge of Massachusetts AF&AM (186 Tremont Street)
• Samuel Crocker Lawrence Library at Grand Lodge building
• Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts
• Prince Mall Monument (Boston Common)

•Bunker Hill Monument (King Solomon's lodge display)

•Lexington - Scottish Rite NMJ Masonic Museum and Library (33 Marrett Road)

•Westford - The Westford Knight (or Sinclair Rock), dubiously claimed to be a pre-Revolutionary War roadside carving of a Knight Templar (or medieval knight) and sword, first identified as such in 1954.

•Worcester - Masonic Temple (b.1913-14), home of Morning Star Lodge, includes Egyptian-themed room.

 Michigan

•Detroit Masonic Temple, largest Masonic building in the world (500 Temple Avenue, Detroit)

 Minnesota

•Bloomington - Masonic Heritage Center, b. 2016; newly opened on the grounds of the Masonic Home; museum; library; theater; lodge rooms (11411 Masonic Home Dr,)

 Mississippi

 Missouri

•Grand Lodge of Missouri Museum (Columbia, MO)

•Bonne Terre Mine Degree, organized by Samaritan Lodge No. 424 (39 N. Allen Street, Bonne Terre, MO)

•Lexington - Replica of Masonic College (1848-57) classroom and building in College Park (at corner of State and 16th Streets).
•Ste. Genevieve - Green Tree Tavern (b. 1790), log tavern and location of the first Masonic Lodge west of the Mississippi River, Louisiana Lodge No. 109 (chartered by GL of Pennsylvania in 1807; defunct).

•St. Louis - The imposing and incongruously named New Masonic Temple at 3681 Lindell Boulevard (b. 1925), now sold to non-Masons) is magnificent, and remains one of the greatest Masonic buildings ever constructed. Temple is closed by new developer, no Masonic presence today. See also St. Louis Scottish Rite Consistory one block down.

 Montana

•Bannack Historic Lodge No. 3-7-77

Mullan Pass Historic Lodge No. 1862

 Nebraska

•Bellevue - Olde Towne in Washington Park, site of Peter Sarpy's Trading Post, where first Masonic lodge was established in Nebraska - Nebraska Lodge No. 1, chartered 1855 (at corner of East 19th Avenue and Franklin Street). In 1955, Bellevue Lodge No. 325 was chartered and meets across the street from Washington Park at 1908 Franklin Street. 

Nebraska Lodge No. 1 relocated to Omaha and now meets at West Omaha Masonic Center (2424 South 135th Avenue in Omaha)

•Lincoln - Grand Lodge of Nebraska Masonic Museum and Research Library; contains the newly rediscovered George Washington Lininger Collection. (301 N. Cotner Blvd.)

•Omaha - Nebraska Lodge No. 1 relocated from Bellevue to Omaha and now meets at West Omaha Masonic Center (2424 South 135th Avenue in Omaha)

 Nevada

•Virginia City - Escurial Lodge No. 7, chartered 1864. Upper lodge room is a copy of the 1863 original.

 New Hampshire

•Portsmouth

• William Pitt Tavern (b. 1766 as the Earl of Halifax Tavern); third floor added as meeting space for St. John's Lodge No. 1 (orig. chartered 1736 by premiere GL of England). Historic site of formation by five lodges of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire in 1789. Contains period recreation lodge room and Masonic Museum. William Pitt Tavern Lodge No. 1789 was chartered in 1983 as a special purpose lodge to raise funds necessary to restore and maintain the tavern (416 Court Street).
• James E. Whalley Masonic Museum and Library at Portsmouth Masonic Temple (351 Middle Street)

 New Jersey

•Bridgeton - Brearley Lodge No. 2 (chartered 1791 as No. 9), oldest continuously used lodge building in the state, b. 1797. (59 Bank Street)

 New Mexico

•Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple (463 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe)

 New York

•Albany - Albany Masonic Temple (b. 1895-96) sits on property that has belonged to Masons continuously since 1768 - longest in America. Both Presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt were members here. Home to five lodges, York Rite, and Scottish Rite bodies. Stunning interior; huge hand-carved throne; stained glass windows. (67 Corning Place).

•Jonestown - St. Patrick's Lodge No. 4 (chartered 1766); one of oldest lodges in New York, still possesses its original English charter, and officers still wear their original 1766 jewels. They have their complete set of minutes for every meeting held from its inception in 1766 to the present time.

•New York City

• Grand Lodge of New York Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street, New York City)
• Garibaldi Lodge
• Mariner's Lodge 
• St. John's Lodge A.Y.M. No. 1's George Washington Inaugural Bible
• Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library and Museum
• Fraunces Tavern, 54 Pearl Street (c.1719; opened as inn 1762 by Samuel Fraunces, proprietor of the Free Mason Arms; rebuilt 1904) - oldest standing building in New York City, site of early Masonic gatherings and Washington's famous farewell to his troops. Samuel Fraunces was described as a "West Indian Negro and steward to George Washington"; member of Holland Lodge No. 8.
• Brooklyn (former) Masonic Temple (b. 1907-09) - landmark Masonic building that set the stage for imitators across the country for two decades. Now home to numerous clandestine groups (Clermont and Lafayette Avenues in Fort Greene, Brooklyn).

•Queens - 'George Washington As A Master Mason' statue by Frank De Lue in Flushing Meadows Corona Park; remnant of New York's Masonic Pavilion from the 1964-65 Worlds Fair. Also, square and compass denoting its location on sidewalk relief map of Fair site.

•Tappen - DeWint House, George Washington's Headquarters

•Utica

• Masonic Care Community
• Daniel D. Tompkins Historic Chapel - famous Masonic stained glass panels and 'Silence' sculpture
• 1964 World's Fair Pavilion surviving square and compass

 North Carolina

•Asheville - Asheville Masonic Temple (b. 1915) was built for Mount Hermon Lodge No. 118 (chartered in 1848 but operating under dispensation from 1828), York Rite and Scottish Rite bodies.
•Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Black Camp Gap  - North Carolina Masonic Marker 

•Great Smokies Summer Assembly aka Maggie Valley York Rite Festival- annually in early July

• Halifax - Royal White Hart Lodge No. 2 (chartered 1767). Historic building erected in 1769.
•New Bern - St. John's Lodge No. 3 (chartered 1772) has one of the oldest Masonic lodge halls still in use in the US (b. 1801). Its theatre is believed to be the oldest operating in the United States, and was opened in 1804. It is beautifully restored and maintained.

  North Dakota

•Fort Buford - Yellowstone Historic Lodge No. 88

•Lake Metigoshe - Masonic Island

•U.S./Canadian Border near Dunseith, ND) - International Peace Garden Lodge

 Ohio

•Dayton Masonic Center

•Miamitown - Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No.2 (recreated historic lodge room)

 Oklahoma

•Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team

•Elk City - Route 66 Old Town Museum - 2nd floor of attorney's office, Elk City Lodge No. 182 (2717 W. 3rd Street)

•Guthrie - Scottish Rite Cathedral; one of the largest Scottish Rite buildings in the world

•McAlester - Scottish Rite Temple (b. 1930); beautiful art-deco reliefs and Egyptian-revival interiors

 Oregon

•Crater Lake - Crater Lake outdoor degree (inside National Park), usually first Saturday in August; hosted by Crater Lake Lodge 211 of Klamath Falls.

•Hot Springs - Malheur Cave, 17 miles east of Crane Hot Springs and site of annual cave degree since 1938; owned by Robert Burns Lodge No. 97. Usually late summer, or early fall.

•Portland - Friendship Lodge No. 160 (chartered 1914) - beautifully remodeled temple with balcony and stunning stained glass ceiling (8130 N. Denver Avenue in Portland)

 Pennsylvania

•George Washington Lodge No. 143 - oldest continuous Masonic building in state - 1823 (Chambersburg, PA)

•Elizabethtown - Masonic Villages complex

• Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682 (60's modern)
• William A. Carpenter Memorial Chapel (huge stained glass window)
• DeMolay Campus (home of numerous Masonic conferences)
• Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge (annually in March and October)

•Gettysburg - 'Friend To Friend' Memorial

•New Castle - Scottish Rite Valley

•Philadelphia - Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Freemason Hall (One North Broad Street)

•Scranton - Masonic Temple (Scranton Cultural Center)

 Rhode Island

•Newport - Newport Tower, claimed by some to be a Knight Templar structure

 South Carolina

•Charleston - Founding of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite in 1801 commemorated by a series of historical plaques at Broad and Church Streets

 South Dakota

•Rapid City - Mt. Rushmore Lodge No. 220, chartered 1953 (618 Kansas City St.)

•Deadwood - Mount Moriah Cemetery's road names are known to all Masons, and there is an outdoor 'Celestial  Lodge' there for visitation and reflection. Cemetery was created in partnership in 1878 between Freemasons and the Jewish community. Also visit Deadwood Lodge No. 7, chartered 1877 (715 Main Street)

 Tennessee

•Franklin - Franklin Masonic Hall (b. 1823) oldest Masonic Hall in continuous use in Tennessee; claimed as oldest continually operating Masonic Lodge building in the United States. Hall is the only meeting site between a sitting President and a Native American Nation, President Andrew Jackson having met with a delegation from the Chickasaw Nation in 1826 for a treaty signing. Home of Hiram Lodge No. 7 (chartered 1809) 

•Kingston - Eblen's Cave Degree, hosted by Union Lodge No. 38 (visiting degree teams from across the US, annually in August)

 Texas

•Houston - Scottish Rite Valley of Houston features immersive "holodeck" projection system for degree presentations (2401 W. Bellfort)

•La Vernia - Brahan Lodge No. 226 (chartered 1859; lodge hall b. 1869-71) Members included veterans of Texas War for Independence, Mier Expedition, Mexican War, Indian campaigns. Believed to be the oldest continuously-used, purpose built Masonic lodge, church and school building in Texas. Members quarried stone, hauled it to site by ox-cart, completed hall 1871. Beautiful lodge room murals were painted in 1960 by Robert S. Brown, then 75 year old. 

•San Antonio - Scottish Rite Valley and Masonic plaques at the Alamo

 Utah

•Fairfield - Camp Floyd Historic Lodge No. 205, commemorates the first Masonic lodge in the Territory of Utah, March 6, 1859, (chartered as Rocky Mountain No. 205 UD Missouri). Lodge meets annually on the Saturday before Memorial Day, location varies.

•Salt Lake City Masonic Temple

 Vermont

 Virginia

•Alexandria

• George Washington National Masonic Memorial
• Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22
• Gadsby's Tavern (George Washington really DID eat here)
• District of Columbia foundation stone, dedicated by Masonic ceremony at Jones' Point Park
• Annual Easter Observance by Knights Templar

•Arlington (or nearby in Northern Virginia) - Masonic Week (AMD Week), annually in February

•Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, founded 1752 - George Washington's Mother Lodge and home of the Bible he took his obligations upon (Fredericksburg, VA)

•Richmond - Mason's Hall (b. 1785-87), oldest American Masonic lodge building, home of Richmond-Randolph Lodge No. 19. Virginia delegates to the constitutional convention received their instructions there. In the war of 1812 it served as a an army hospital. Union general (a Mason) sacking Richmond posted a guard on the building to prevent it from being burned during Civil,War. (1807 E. Franklin St.)

•Williamsburg Lodge No. 6 (1759)

•Winchester Hiram Lodge No. 21, founded 1768- magnificent murals (Winchester, VA)

 Washington

 West Virginia

 Wisconsin

•Cambridge - Social Lodge No. 245 (chartered 1891), smallest lodge room in Wisconsin, approx. 15' x 15' (Cambridge Masonic Center, 105 South Spring Street)
•Madison - Grand Masonic Center, new Grand Lodge faclities, lodge room, auditorium, museum and library (36275 Sunset Drive, Dousman, WI)
•Milwaukee/Whitefish Bay - Aurora Lodge No. 30, only German language-speaking Masonic lodge left in Wisconsin; works degrees and meetings in German using "modified French Rite" (517 E. Beaumont, Milwaukee)

•New Diggings - Olive Branch Lodge No. 6 (chartered 1897) located in the only dedicated "Masonic cemetery" in Wisconsin. First Masonic Temple in Wisconsin erected in New Diggings built in 1845. Temple was moved in 1950 from the town of New Diggings to the Masonic cemetery (County Highway W, west of of New Diggings). (PLEASE UPDATE THIS INFORMATION)

 Wyoming

CANADIAN MASONIC SIGHTSEEING

 Alberta

•Kananaskis Springtime Workshop - Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, annual in early April


 British Columbia

•Dawson City, Yukon - Temple of Yukon Lodge No. 45; built in 1903 with a $25,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie with city and territorial assistance, the Carnegie Library on Queen Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues opened in 1904 with over 5,000 books. It was the northernmost Carnegie library ever built. The library moved out in 1920 and the building remained empty until 1934 when it was sold to Yukon Lodge No. 45. Mother lodge of Robert W. Service, Yukon poet.

 Manitoba

•U.S./Canadian Border (near Boissevain, Manitoba) - International Peace Garden Lodge

 New Brunswick

 Newfoundland and Labrador

 Nova Scotia

 Ontario

•Hamilton - Scottish Rite Club of Hamilton -  unique mansion (b. 1884) that serves as private club for Scottish Rite members. SR Cathedral (b. 1923) adjacent. (4 Queen Street South).

•North York - Heritage Lodge No. 730 located within Black Creek Pioneer Village history museum. The 1867 lodge room is furnished with pre-Confederation furnishings and is staffed by volunteer Masonic Interpreters. More than 35 authentically restored homes, workshops, public buildings and farms recreate the atmosphere of life in a rural Victorian community of the 1860s (1000 Murray Ross Pkwy, North York)

 Prince Edward Island

 Quebec

•Mansonville - Golden Rule Lodge No. 5 Annual Owl's Head Communication - largest open-air lodge in the world on peak of Owl's head Mountain (2,425 ft), 3rd Saturday in June. Held annually since 1857.

 Saskatchewan